Game 20: Ducks vs. Capitals 11.19.08

Ducks Lose 6-4

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GAME DAY QUOTES:
"I think the confidence that I took from Iowa coming up has really just translated.," Ryan Said. "Playing with [Ryan] Getzlaf and [Corey] Perry gives me a little more. I know I’m free to do a couple different things here and there and I’m not going to get punished every time I try something.Individually it’s nice to put up points and it’s nice to get your feet under you. All that doesn’t mean a whole lot when you’re losing a game you should have won."

"We have to be ready to play for the full 60 minutes," Corey Perry said. "Coming out and giving up three goals right away, it doesn’t help our cause. The rest of the game we have to battle back. It’s an uphill climb when you get down 3-0 in the first five minutes."

"They are a skilled team, but we knew that," said Perry. "We knew we couldn’t come in and take penalties. Their power play is too good. They shoot the puck and get to the net. If we play five-on-five, you never know what can happen."

Ducks coach Randy Carlyle voiced his frustration about the large amount of penalties, a problem for much of the season for Anaheim. "We’ve only talked about it about 250 million times," Carlyle said. "Obviously, it has to resort to some drastic measures. I think we’re in a situation where we’re going to continue to make changes and consider lineup changes if that is going to continue."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

Game 19: Ducks vs. Kings 11.16.08

Ducks Win 2-0!!

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GAME DAY QUOTES:
"It counts as a team win," Hiller said. "It’s a great feeling for a goalie. I’m definitely happy it finally worked out. I wasn’t that nervous. You just try to concentrate, focus on the next shot and try to stop it. I didn’t have too many worries about what could happen. For sure, you sometimes check the clock and how many minutes are left." [on his first career shutout]

"I think for the first half of the game, we weren’t really with our game," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "After that, we started to get more of the grind game, that cycle game where you put the puck in deep and you work the puck down low. That hasn’t changed for our group. When we do that, where we grind teams, we’re effective. When we don’t do it, we’re one and out and then we play the majority of the game in our end."

"The shot was just one of those things where it popped out," Hedican said. "I let it go and found the net. I think he didn’t expect right away and it snuck in. It was wobbling in. It was kind of a knuckleball, Phil Niekro-style. I’ll take them any way I can get them right now."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

Game 18: Ducks vs. Predators 11.14.08

Ducks Lose 4-3 in OT

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GAME DAY QUOTES:
"We had a few little breakdowns in our end that led to some of their chances," said Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer, who tried to flip the puck out of the corner in the OT, only to see it land on Arnott's stick to set up the winning goal. "When you’re playing a team that plays well like they did tonight, you can’t do that. I think it was a bit better effort than the last two games, but still not enough to get two points, which is what we set out to do tonight, so it’s disappointing."

"It’s coming," Morrison said. "For the past week, I’ve been saying that now. My legs are starting to feel better. It’s a step in the right direction. Really, in the big picture it means nothing because we lost. But it’s a work in progress."

"The power play goal gave them the lead and then we had to do everything we could possibly do to get ours at the end," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "It was a see-saw battle and a good compete game. I liked our effort. We lost a point in overtime. We’re not going to get down. We’ll correct some mistakes and work on that tomorrow."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

Burke Steps Down; Murray New GM

The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has named Bob Murray Executive Vice President and General Manager. At the same time, Brian Burke has been named Special Consultant to Chief Executive Officer Michael Schulman.

“Brian respectfully declined our contract extension offer last week,” said Schulman. “With his support, we decided to make the transition at this time in the best interest of the organization. Brian and I have been discussing his future with the Ducks for some time. Once he decided last week not to extend his contract, I decided Bob was the obvious successor and Brian agreed.
“Bob’s experience and knowledge of our organization make him the ideal candidate to take over. He’s been a critical member of our organization over the last three seasons, both as Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of our American Hockey League (AHL) club.
“Needless to say, what Brian has done for this franchise as General Manager has been remarkable. He’s led our club to unprecedented success since joining the team, creating an entertaining brand of hockey our community can be proud of. We cannot thank him enough for what he’s done for us. Brian has been upfront and honest with us regarding his family situation. We respect and understand his decision and are pleased he’s staying on as a Special Consultant.”

Murray has spent 33 consecutive years in the National Hockey League, the last three-plus seasons with Anaheim. He was named Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations on July 14, 2005. Since joining the Ducks, Murray had a vital role in the success of the club, which included a Stanley Cup (2007), a Pacific Division title (2007), and three consecutive playoff berths.

Brian Burke steps down into a Special Consultant role after more than three years as Ducks Executive Vice President and General Manager.

“I’m honored to be named General Manager,” said Murray. “I want to thank both Michael Schulman and Brian Burke for their support and encouragement during this process and look forward to the future.”

Murray’s previous responsibilities included overseeing all aspects of player development, serving as General Manager of Anaheim’s AHL affiliate (now the Iowa Chops). Prior to the club’s affiliation with Iowa, Murray was the General Manager of the Portland Pirates from 2005-06 through 2007-08. The Pirates went to the Conference Finals twice (2006 & 2008), appearing in six playoff rounds. Anaheim and Portland combined to win 10 and appear in 14 playoff rounds over the last three seasons, the most of any organization in hockey.
Prior to joining the Ducks, Murray worked as a Professional Scout with the Vancouver Canucks from 1999 to 2005 under then-General Manager Brian Burke (1998-2004). Before his stint in Vancouver, he served as a Scouting Consultant for Anaheim during the 1998-99 season.
Murray was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks organization for 25 years, serving as General Manager from 1997-99. He was named the sixth General Manager in team history on July 3, 1997 after serving as Assistant General Manager under Bob Pulford for two seasons. Before joining upper-management, Murray was named the Director of Player Personnel in 1991 and was largely responsible for the club’s NHL Entry Draft selections over eight seasons.
Drafted by the Blackhawks in 1974, Murray spent his entire 1,008-game, 15-year career in a Chicago uniform. He was named to both the 1981 and 1983 NHL All-Star Games. Murray retired at the conclusion of the 1989-90 season and remained with the organization as a Professional Scout.
Burke was named Executive Vice President and General Manager on June 20, 2005. Over the last three seasons, the Ducks captured their first Stanley Cup (2007), first Pacific Division title (2007) and first two 100+ point seasons (2006-07 & 2007-08). The club has qualified for the playoffs all three years, winning six-of-eight playoff series over that span. Only the Detroit Red Wings have matched the Ducks success over that stretch, having also won six-of-eight postseason series.
Burke also received two prestigious honors in the summer of 2008. On June 6, Burke was named the General Manager of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team by USA Hockey. On, Aug. 7, 2008, he was named a recipient of the 2008 Lester Patrick Award for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. He joined Ted Lindsay, Phil Housley and Bob Naegele in the Class of 2008.

“As I’ve said all along, the Samuelis and Michael Schulman are special people,” said Burke. “This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. I’m comforted that the team is in great hands with Bob and David (McNab) in charge. I can’t thank everyone enough for their understanding and patience as I wrestled with this decision.”

SOURCE: http://ducks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=392022

Game 17: Ducks vs. Panthers 11.9.08

Ducks Lose 3-1
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GAME DAY QUOTES
"We have to look ourselves in the mirror and see what we can improve on," said goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere. "This is a good week to take a step back and go back to work rested. We have to be better at home. It’s unacceptable to play like that in front of our fans."

"They were having a tough road trip so far and they played last night in Phoenix, so they had to travel here. I think if we would have played a solid first period and took their will away, maybe the scenario would have been different tonight," Giguere said. "But we didn’t do that, we game them life and that is what happens."

"You have to give a lot of credit to Anderson," said Corey Perry, who had the Ducks' only goal, an early first-period strike. "He stood on his head. He was good with his rebounds. We were in front of him and banging away, but he laid his pads on the ice. A lot of pucks just kept bouncing off his pads and then he covered them up. It’s just one of those nights where it just didn’t go in the net for us."

"I didn’t think we were physical enough and I didn’t think we executed to the level that was necessary until later in the hockey game," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "In the NHL, it takes 60 minutes to win and I don’t think we played 60 minutes."

"We have four days off here and a couple days off to ourselves," Perry said. "We’ll just get our heads away from the game for a couple of days and come back to practice on Wednesday and be prepared."

Said Carlye, "I told them to take two days, come back and be prepared to go to work on Wednesday. It’s the first chance we’ve had in a long time to have a two-day break. We feel that this time is important for them to get rest, get their heads free of hockey for 48 hours, clean the garage and kiss their wife."

Source for Quotes:ducks.nhl.com

Game 16: Ducks vs. Stars 11.7.08

Ducks Lose 5-2
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GAME DAY QUOTES:
"We got away from our game of just the hard work, the skating and the simple things," said Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer. "They came out and did those things. They had us back a little bit and got those early goals. When you’re playing against a team that is pretty determined defensively like they were, it’s tough to turn it around. We tried, but we weren’t able to do it."

"They were playing hard," Niedermayer said. "They were a team that was hungry for the points tonight, probably hungrier than we were. I think that showed. All those things that happened out there, I think they deserved to win."

"I knocked it down, it went into my feet and I just stepped right on it," Niedermayer said. "Things like that do happen in a hockey game. We were already behind the eight ball." [about his falling down resulting in a goal]

"It was pretty much laying there," Morrison said. "It’s not the kind of one that you dream about, but a goal is a goal. Right now, we’ll take them any way we can get them. It’s always nice to contribute. The last three games it feels like it’s starting to come, so hopefully it’s a sign. The goal is to get better each and every night." [on his first goal of the season and as a Duck]

"We didn’t have a very good effort tonight all around," Morrison said. "I don’t think they played exceptionally well. I just don’t think that we were as sharp as we needed to be. We knew they were a desperate team coming in and they were a little bit fragile, but they did what they had to do to win. We didn’t do enough. Now, the key here is to see how quickly we can rebound. That is the sign of a good team is to bounce back right away."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

Game 15: Ducks vs. Blues 11.5.08

Ducks Win 5 - 2 !
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GAME DAY QUOTES:
"The team is playing well and everybody is contributing in different areas," Getzlaf said. "Our penalty killing and power play is playing well. We’re getting great goaltending. It’s a matter of things are clicking right now and we just have to continue playing the way we are."

"We have to be happy with our work ethic, first and foremost," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We played in a game last night in L.A. and [the Blues] were here waiting for us. We did some things that we have to do to be successful. We did those more consistently tonight than we did last night and that was our goal."

"You have to put most of it on [Getzlaf's] shoulders," said linemate Chris Kunitz of the Ducks' resurgence. "He sat out in Toronto because of a [dental procedure]. He came back, we got a goal that first game in Ottawa, and ever since then it’s just elevated everybody’s game. The power play started clicking after that. Teemu starting scoring a bunch of goals, Corey started getting a bunch of points and Prongs and Scotty. I think Getzy is probably the cornerstone of how it all started to go."

Game 14: Ducks at Kings 11.4.08

DUCKS WIN 1-0 in OT
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GAME DAY QUOTES:
"I knew the guy was coming out of the box so I shot it, luckily it went off the crossbar and in," said Pronger. "We did enough to win, but that's not good enough for this group."

"On the road it might not be perfect, but the important thing is we got two points," said Giguere. "Every time we played the Kings so far in either exhibition or regular season, they've given us a run for our money."

"They had a couple great chances, but (Giguere) was up to the task and made some great saves for us to keep the score 0-0 and give us a chance to try and find that winning goal," said Pronger.

"I think I played pretty well, we got one point, I guess that's good," said Ersberg, who had stopped 29 of 30 shots in his only other appearance against the Ducks, a 2-1 shootout loss on March 26, 2008. "I guess its a game to build on."

"I liked his game a lot," said Kings coach Terry Murray of Ersberg. "Having not played in several weeks here, he showed a lot of composure; he was very calm, under control and made some very big stops."

Source for Quotes: nhl.com

Game 13: Ducks vs. Flames 11.2.08

Ducks Win 3-2!

Period 1: 1 - 0
Period 2: 3 - 1
Period 3: 3 - 2
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GAME DAY QUOTES:
DUCKS:
"That’s more our type of game," Giguere said. "These are the types of games that we need to play consistently. It’s what it’s going to take for us to win until the end of the season."

"We were up 3-0 and it seems that after that, we sat back on our heels and watched them play a little bit," Giguere said. "All around it was a good effort, but I think we need to get comfortable playing with that kind of lead."

"Last game was a roller coaster ride, and that is definitely not the hockey that we want to play throughout the year." said Ryan Getzlaf, who had the first goal of the game. "Tonight was a good hard-fought battle. It’s nice to get that lead early and be able to maintain it."

"These are games that your emotions are running, highs and lows, through the game," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "For us, the most important thing is we found a way to gut it out and we won the hockey game. We know that there is areas of improvement that are required for our group to continue to have success, but we’re going to take the two points."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

Game 12: Ducks vs. Canucks 10.31.08 Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone!
Ducks Lose 7-6 in SO.
Period 1: 2 - 1
Period 2: 5 - 5
Period 3: 6 - 6
OT: 6 - 6
SO: 6 - 7 (After a whopping 13 rounds)

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GAME DAY QUOTES:
DUCKS:
"It was back and forth," Perry said. "We were up two, down three. It had everything in the game. We just came up short in the shootout. We didn’t have a solid game. Coming away with one point is good, but we always like to get two."

"It took forever," Hiller said. "That is probably one of the few games you’ll have in your whole career. It’s sad to lose it at the end. Roberto won this time, but we’ll see next time."

"It seemed like every puck went in somehow," Hiller said. "I think we showed a lot of character in fighting back when we were behind a couple of goals. We deserved that point, too bad we couldn’t get two in the shootout."

"Every game is not a Mona Lisa that you try to paint," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "Tonight was one of those games. I’m sure both coaches are not going to keep the DVD of this one. Either way, I look at it that we did some good things from a standpoint that we battled back when we were down and executed on power play to provide some offense. We’ve been on a pretty good string here, so we’ll just take the point and move forward."